Living Alone

A tribute to Valentine’s Day, and an opportunity to just think – about all the reasons we love the place we call home.

And I’d like to wrap up today’s show, by talking to all of you who come home every day, to – no one but you. To everyone who lives alone.

Because if you do live alone, and you don’t have a significant other, Valentine’s Day can kind of make you feel, like you’re not in the club!

But let me share something with you. Something you might not know. Something to consider, on Valentine’s Day.

And that is? More adult Americans than ever – are living alone.

Yep. Living alone is on the rise.

We’ve reported on this before here on the show – and every time we do, we find that the number of people living alone – has risen!

Late last year, the Pew Research center studied the numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau…and found 42% of American households are now – one person households. Ten years earlier? 39% were living alone.

And living alone happens much more often among younger people. Pew reports that among people 35 and younger – 61% live alone.

That’s so different from the way it used to be. A hundred years ago, only about 5% of Americans lived alone. But over time, we became more independent. We started marrying later in life. The divorce rate increased. Lots of reasons why – so many Americans live alone.

And here’s the good news: They like it.

People who live alone often consider it – liberating. They can do what they want, when they want. They can spend what they want, on whatever they want. They chart their own path in life, and love doing it.

And they continue to buy homes, of course. While it’s true that married couples buy the most homes, NAR reports single women account for 18% of home sales in the United States. Single men? 7%.

Now, here’ an important point: living alone doesn’t mean being alone. Because as sociologist Eric Kilinenberg wrote in the New York Times, people who live alone are extremely social. His research found that living alone results in being around other people more – not less. The reason? There’s nothing else on their calendar! They can go out whenever they want, without any conflicts.

In fact, he also points out that in today’s high-tech world, everybody is more connected to other people than ever before. Including people who live alone.

For real estate, the implications are huge. Single people who own their own homes can set them up however they want. They can buy, and sell, on their terms…when, where and how they want to. Now there are a few downsides – you’ll have to qualify for a mortgage based on just one income…not two. And when you sell, you’ll only qualify for the $250,000 capital gains exemption…not the $500,000 exemption married couples get. But as we’ve said before, anyone who makes profits like that – well, they’re doing pretty well.

I wanted to talk about this, because real estate – is for everybody. And so is this program. Whether you have a spouse and 10 kids running around the house, or it’s just you – we’re on your side, and we want you to thrive – in every real estate market.

So let me leave you with one more thought.

There are so many Americans living alone, the US Census has recognized the third week in September – as “Unmarried and Single Americans Week.”

So you see? Valentine’s? That’s just one day. Single people get a whole week.